Rahul & the Bake-off

From the opening episodes of this season’s Great British Bake O , it was clear that mild-mannered Rahul Mandal was the guy to beat. The 30-year-old PHD student from Kolkata lacked con dence but regularly dazzled the judges with his avours and techniques. Indeed, bookies suspended bets when he reached the Grand Final. On the day, Rahul su ered a moment of crisis when one of his storage jars exploded in the hot tent, sending shards of glass ying. Despite the set-back, he nished his show-stopper and went on to claim the prize.